is a long barrel really necessary?

[MetropolisLake]

Starting to think about a new rifle. I've owned an 18" JP upper and it just seemed pretty beefy based on what I typically use one for. I realize there's the whole rifle length gas system deal plus accuracy and velocity for matches out west, but beyond that are you really gaining anything except weight? I've heard a 14.5" mid length is also very soft shooting. For club matches usually well within 200 absolutely no more than 300 yards once in a blue moon, are you really gaining anything by getting an 18" rifle length vs. a 14.5" mid length?

Edited May 1, 2014 by MetropolisLakeOutfitters

[Jakobi]

No. If I didn't have to shoot past 200 yards I'd be using something in the 14-16" range in an as light as possible configuration. I plan on shooting my rifle out past 600 yards so I'm building an 18". I'll build a short and light some other time. You can see this trend in the pro circuit as well.

-Jake

[Alaskapopo]

Starting to think about a new rifle. I've owned an 18" JP upper and it just seemed pretty beefy based on what I typically use one for. I realize there's the whole rifle length gas system deal plus accuracy and velocity for matches out west, but beyond that are you really gaining anything except weight? I've heard a 14.5" mid length is also very soft shooting. For club matches usually well within 200 absolutely no more than 300 yards once in a blue moon, are you really gaining anything by getting an 18" rifle length vs. a 14.5" mid length?

Ask it this way. Are you really giving up much by carrying a 18 inch barrel over a 14.5 and for me the answer is no so I switched from a 14.5 inch Noveske to a 18 inch lightweight JP and 18 inch Nordic build.

[pjb45]

I shot SMM3G with a former member of the Danish military , He used a shorty barrel and had no problems hitting the long shots at Rio Salado.

Kind of made you think twice about 'conventional wisdom.'

[SonOfSpartans]

I have been very happy with the performance of my 16" LW fluted barrel and mid length gas system.

[ski_dog]

With a high quality barrel, you likely will be just as accurate with a shorter barrel. John Noveske always said to use the shortest barrel you could get away with for the purpose. I have 14.5, 16, 18, and 20 inch uppers. Those 14.5" lightweight barrels sure handle quickly in target transitions!

Edited May 2, 2014 by ski_dog

[KelsonAK]

A long barrel really does three things; Adds weight, gives additional velocity and gives you the option of a longer sight radius. For 300 yards and in on a .223, the extra velocity isn't THAT much of a big deal. The longer sight radius can be a big deal - unless you are using a dot or other optics. The weight issue... for service rifle that can be a good thing. For 3 gun, not so sure it's a good thing. My next build will probably be on a shorter and lighter tube than I have on now - with a faster twist

[MetropolisLake]

With a high quality barrel, you likely will be just as accurate with a shorter barrel. John Noveske always said to use the shortest barrel you could get away with for the purpose. I have 14.5, 16, 18, and 20 inch uppers. Those 14.5" lightweight barrels sure handle quickly in target transitions!

I can't imagine that hoser stages wouldn't be nice with a short and lightweight upper. Also can't imagine that one wouldn't be able to hit stuff like 8" plates within 200 yards.

[Doug H.]

To me balance is more important than weight. I shoot a 20" medium weight JP but added a carbon fiber forearm and Magpul PRS stock to make it balance. Its on the heavy side but is perfectly balanced for me and makes long shots easy. I tried my lighter 16 and 18 inch guns but I didn't like them as much as my 20. Try shooting some friends guns and see how they feel before spending a bunch of money then you can make an informed decision.

Doug

[MetropolisLake]

To me balance is more important than weight. I shoot a 20" medium weight JP but added a carbon fiber forearm and Magpul PRS stock to make it balance. Its on the heavy side but is perfectly balanced for me and makes long shots easy. I tried my lighter 16 and 18 inch guns but I didn't like them as much as my 20. Try shooting some friends guns and see how they feel before spending a bunch of money then you can make an informed decision.

Doug

I'm running a 16" now so I know how that feels. I had a JP 18" with the 15" handguard and the heat sink, felt like I was handling a weighted softball bat. I don't know how an 18" lightweight setup feels like though. I did used to have a 14.5" with a plastic handguard that was light. Only thing I didn't like about it in terms of handling was that on unsupported longer distance targets it didn't feel as stable, kind of like in the same way that longer shotguns swing better than 18" ones at the skeet club.

[Bryan 45]

I like guns- almost all of them. If you're wanting an excuse to get a shorter rifle, this is as good as any.

But, there are no advantages to a shorter, lightweight rifle unless you're moving in and out of cars, ships, trains and houses while engaging targets.

Which, by the way, sounds like it would be a great stage!

[Doug H.]

To me balance is more important than weight. I shoot a 20" medium weight JP but added a carbon fiber forearm and Magpul PRS stock to make it balance. Its on the heavy side but is perfectly balanced for me and makes long shots easy. I tried my lighter 16 and 18 inch guns but I didn't like them as much as my 20. Try shooting some friends guns and see how they feel before spending a bunch of money then you can make an informed decision.

Doug

I'm running a 16" now so I know how that feels. I had a JP 18" with the 15" handguard and the heat sink, felt like I was handling a weighted softball bat. I don't know how an 18" lightweight setup feels like though. I did used to have a 14.5" with a plastic handguard that was light. Only thing I didn't like about it in terms of handling was that on unsupported longer distance targets it didn't feel as stable, kind of like in the same way that longer shotguns swing better than 18" ones at the skeet club.

Like I said, balance is important. If you had a JP 18" Medium weight barrel and the 15" JP handguard it was probably pretty nose heavy if you had a light butt stock. Add a heavier butt stock and the gun will feel different. My 20 balances at the front pivot pin.

Doug

[P.E. Kelley]

To me balance is more important than weight. I shoot a 20" medium weight JP but added a carbon fiber forearm and Magpul PRS stock to make it balance. Its on the heavy side but is perfectly balanced for me and makes long shots easy. I tried my lighter 16 and 18 inch guns but I didn't like them as much as my 20. Try shooting some friends guns and see how they feel before spending a bunch of money then you can make an informed decision.

Doug

This is the answer. along with my friends Bryan's answer.

[ccoker]

agree on the balance

I have both an 18 with a scope and a 14.5 with a T1, the latter is a lot lighter and would be my preference for long days with the gun.

But 3 gun sessions are very short..

my 16" barrel is set aside for now.

[Bmcg]

I like to run shorter barrels on my rifles. My dedicated match rifle is a 16", but I've probably shot just as many matches with my 11.5" gun. I used it in the 3GN SE regional after the 16" turned into a bolt action on the first stage. No Issues at all hitting the 300 yd tagets with the 11.5" and an Aimoint Comp M-2. I shot BRM3G last year with a 14.5". The 11.5" really is my favorite out of all of them.

[JBOT5000]

a 14.5 barrel is great and can do anything you need in three gun no problem. Downside is the whole pinning a muzzle brake thing is a pain in the ass and I personally like to experiment with different brakes all the time, if you have an SBR tag this is a non-issue.

a 16 barrel is easy to find and you can swap the brake out without issue, problem is why not just add the extra two inches and get the rifle length gas system for the extra benefit of it's recoil impulse and a slight increase in muzzle velocity. Another option is the voodoo ultra light weight barrel I've been eyeing recently seems to be a great compromise between length, weight etc. Many pro 3 gunners are switching to shorter barrels because of the shorter ranges and the faster pro courses.